Papua New Guinea’s bid to join NRL back on the table after V’landys peace talks

Papua New Guinea is set to clinch one of two new NRL licences as part of a 19-team league after ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys smoked the peace pipe with the Federal Government.

(L-R) Peter V’landys and Anthony Albanese.

Papua New Guinea is set to clinch one of two new NRL licences as part of a 19-team league after ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys smoked the peace pipe with the Federal Government on Friday night.

PNG’s bold bid to enter the NRL by 2028 was in danger of collapse after V’landys warned D-Day had arrived for the Federal Government over a 10-year, $600 million funding package for an 18th team in the Pacific.

But tensions eased after crisis talks between V’landys and defence minister Pat Conroy on Friday night - clearing the path for PNG to edge closer to becoming the code’s next expansion team.

And V’landys made the stunning revelation that NRL expansion could be fast-tracked for two franchises to be announced within a fortnight as part of Roosters chairman Nick Politis’ vision for a 20-team competition.

That has raised the prospect of PNG and potentially the Perth Bears being added to a 19-team competition in time for the code’s next broadcast deal from 2028-32.

V’landys and Conroy confirmed afterwards that the parties were now in alignment, clearing one of the few remaining impediments to the introduction of a team in PNG.

All that is left is for the ARL Commission to garner the support of the 17 clubs, which V’landys hopes to secure over the coming weeks.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy hit back at comments from Peter V’landys, as the pair prepared for crisis talks to resolve funding issues over PNG expansion. Picture: Supplied.

“The government was receptive to our requests and we are more aligned now than what we were,” V’landy said.

“Naturally all things require both parties to go back to their board - the minister has to go back to cabinet and we have to go back to the commission.

“One thing we did agree on is the decision has to be made very soon.”

Asked how soon they could announce plans to expand, V’landys said: “We’re not going to be hanging around - two to three weeks max. And it will be more than Papua New Guinea.”

Conroy, the minister for the defence and the Pacific, added: “The discussions were productive. We are aligned on a way forward.”

As revealed by this masthead last Sunday, the ARL Commission had established a taskforce to undertake due diligence on expansion and V’landys said the metrics supported plans for a 20-team NRL.

The first step was expected to be adding PNG as the 18th team, but a 19th franchise is now a bona fide option as part of rapid growth.

“If we do it, we do it as a masterplan and we will present the masterplan to our members (the NRL clubs),” he said.

“To be quite frank, this idea didn’t come from me or the Commission, it came from one of the great visionaries which is Nick Politis. He came to the Annual General Meeting and said we are all kidding ourselves if we don’t go to 20 teams and he is 100 per cent right and we have followed that up.

“I’m not saying if it’s going ahead, but we will be in a position to have a business case to present to our members.

“If they are violently against it, we will consider it, but we’re not going to take something to the members if it doesn’t stack up.

“We wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t to the financial benefit of our members.

“We have to get into the deep end of analysis. We’ve had four emails today from people wanting to join the competition, it’s healthy and shows people want to be a part of it and shows having a franchise is of significant value.”

Conroy was hopeful the parties can reach common ground, but maintained the taxpayer will come first under the Albanese government. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The key for V’landys and the government now is to secure the backing of the clubs, who have raised concerns with head office over the ramifications of expansion.

V’landys indicated the game’s existing clubs would be offered financial incentives to ensure they backed the bid to grow to 20 teams.

“The process we did with the Dolphins, we went and saw every club individually and spoke to them about it,” V’landys said.

“A lot of clubs didn’t agree with it, but they now realise it was the right thing what we did. We have to go and show the business case for this to occur and we want our members to be engaged and satisfied with our business case.

“There’s some things that will beneficial to the club, it’s not just all about the game, there’s also going to be benefit to the members and that is important.

“If all the balls fall into place, it will be two to three weeks. Once we have finalised the proposal from the government, because we are more aligned today, we got more information and because we got more information, we will be more aligned.

“You have to give the clubs the opportunity to provide analysis, but I am confident what the clubs will see, they will be happy.”

Peter V’landys said the NRL was prepared to walk away from the negotiating table after the Federal government tabled a 10-year, $600 million package for an NRL team. Picture: David Clark

Earlier in the day, Conroy had remained hopeful that the parties could reach common ground, but maintained the taxpayer would come first.

“It will be great for the Pacific if it (a PNG team in the NRL) can happen but ultimately I have a responsibility to Australian taxpayers,” said Conroy, who attended Ballymore on Friday to announce funding for Queensland rugby tours to Tonga.

“I am announcing right now a deepening of our partnership with rugby union, so it’s self-evident the government has a number of options about who we partner with.

“I announced a new partnership with Australian rugby union in Canberra and it’s the national religion in countries like Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and they have great in-roads in PNG.

“We talk to all codes and we will support codes that will advance Australia’s interests and respond to the priorities of our partner countries and bring our people together.

“What we have been very clear on is that the Australian government would love to see a Papua New Guinea team in the National Rugby League.

“I was at the Papua New Guinea parliament when PM Albanese was the first foreign leader to address them and he got a standing ovation when he said he would like to see a Papua New Guinean team in the NRL. It is a national religion up there.

“Sport is a critical part of our engagement with the Pacific. Ultimately it has to work for the Australian government and taxpayers and the PNG government and the NRL, but we take value for money and taxpayers dollars very seriously.”

BENNETT NONCOMMITTAL

Wayne Bennett says he can’t commit to coaching a Papua New Guinea team “at the moment” as Peter V’landys and the Federal government held crisis talks over a 10-year, $600 million funding package for an 18th NRL team.

ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys dropped an expansion bombshell on Friday declaring the NRL will walk away from the PNG bid if the Australian government does not meet demands over funding.

V’landys’ ‘D-Day’ warning was a preamble to his Magic Round meeting with Defence Minister Pat Conroy in Brisbane on Friday night in a negotiation that could determine whether PNG’s hopes of an NRL licence collapses.

Clubs were told PNG is the preferred candidate for the 18th team at Thursday’s CEO meeting in Brisbane with the view a licence would be granted in either 2027 or 2028.

It’s understood one of the sticking points is exactly how the Australian Government’s $600 million funding pledge would be spent as part of the move into PNG.

Peter V'landys says the NRL is prepared to walk away from any PNG expansion push. Picture: Supplied

“Absolutely (we’ll walk away), if you’ve played poker with me, I don’t bluff,” V’landys said.

“If things don’t fall in place, we have to move forward and we can’t be stagnant.

“We’ve got a few negotiating points that we have not got over (the line), and if we don’t get them over unfortunately it won’t happen.

“It’s D-Day today, we are meeting with the government on various aspects of it and move it forward, if we can’t then we’ll look elsewhere.”

Bennett had been flagged as a potential foundation coach for an 18th franchise in PNG, but the Dolphins super coach, a free agent for 2025, admits he could be out of the picture as he prepares to strike a deal with South Sydney.

Bennett is supportive of an NRL team based full-time in PNG but is not convinced he could spread the gospel in the wider Pacific as the face of an 18th expansion club.

“I have no idea if I can do a PNG job,” he said.

“They will need a lot of people besides me to make it work.

“No, I can’t commit to anything there at the moment.

“The bottom line is no decision has been made yet so I won’t beat myself up over what I will be doing in two or three years time. It’s a waste of time until they make a decision on a PNG team.”

V’landys was reluctant to reveal the details on the “negotiation points” on Friday morning. But it’s understood the NRL is hoping to build a compound-type facility, where players and training facilities will be housed, in Port Moresby to mitigate security challenges in the volatile nation.

The NRL is also lobbying the Australian Government for tax breaks to encourage players to join the PNG team.

V’landys stressed his talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a passionate rugby league supporter, have been positive.

“They are commercially sensitive, when you get to the minister and prime minister level there is no problem,“ he said.

“We just have to get through the sticking points that hopefully will be fixed up.

“Part of what we want to do is have it based in Papua New Guinea so you need to have good facilities there, you need good accommodation and they are the things on the table at the moment.”

V’landys revealed super coach Bennett has been a major driver in convincing the NRL to base a Papua New Guinea team in Port Moresby, rather than in Queensland.

Bennett, who is set to join South Sydney from 2025 for the next three years, remains the NRL’s preferred option as the coach of a PNG side.

“He was never coaching the team, he wanted a stalking horse to get more money out of Souths,” V’landys joked.

“He’s certainly the main man for PNG, the Dolphins wouldn’t be as successful as they are if it wasn’t for Wayne Bennett.

“If he’s available, he would be the one we want.”

Wayne Bennett is the NRL’s preferred option to coach any PNG based expansion team. Picture: NRL Photos

The NRL has at least four other bids on the table including two in New Zealand, Perth and Brisbane, while the North Sydney Bears are open to merger talks for a return to the big league.

V’landys said attention would turn to those bids if the meeting with the Federal government failed to find a resolution on PNG.

“It’s no done deal and there are some very good bids in Perth, Christchurch and even here in Brisbane. It’s far from a final decision,” V’landys said.

V’landys even suggested that Perth’s bid to be the 18th team could have overtaken PNG as the preferred option.

“Their (Perth) bid is looking very good and maybe PNG isn’t the one that is first,” V’landys said.

“All the bids are fantastic and it goes to show you how good the game is going at the moment. The premier of Western Australia, I’m taking an AVO out on him – he calls every day asking to put the Perth team in.”

The Perth bid team is in talks with North Sydney Bears bosses about a possible joint venture.

V’landys said on Friday the outcome of the Perth bid would not be contingent on a Bears joint venture getting across the line.

Originally published as Papua New Guinea’s bid to join NRL back on the table after V’landys peace talks